Member Spotlight: Tucker Dona
Tucker Dona joined Trail Roots in 2020 immediately upon moving to Austin. As a recovering Wall Street’er now at a small fintech startup, a husband, and father of two toddlers, he has his hands full, but manages to find time to get his runs in. Coming from a triathlon background, Tucker was drawn to the trails after feeling burned out with triathlon training. He recently became a Trail Roots pack co-leader for the HokaHey, one of our speedier groups and enjoys welcoming new members. We are happy to have him as a leader in our community and wanted to ask him a few questions about his journey with running and Trail Roots.
What inspired you to start running?
I was around 30 years old, living in NYC, and leading a pretty unhealthy lifestyle – out late 5 nights per week, not eating well, poor exercise routines, etc. I decided that I wanted to be a bit more disciplined about my life, so I started doing a few short New York Road Runner races. Those races led to an interest in triathlon, which somehow led to three straight years of racing Ironmans.
What was your most memorable moment when you were racing in triathlons?
My wife, Hilary, and I’s last Ironman was Ironman Copenhagen, which is a beautiful course and we had 10 teammates racing. Both of us set significant PRs, which for me was 10:19 for the full race with a 3:31 marathon. But I also have a pretty terrible butt paste story from my first Ironman, happy to re-tell it on a group run, just ask.
Why did you move on from triathlon and what got you interested in trail running?
After 5 straight years of pretty serious training for triathlons, I was a little burnt out. Hilary and I decided to race a stage running race called TransRockies, which was my first real exposure to trail running. We loved the training and the race … and more importantly the type of people we met. If anyone is considering racing TransRockies, we would highly recommend it!
Why did you join Trail Roots?
Leading up to our move to Austin, I was doing a fair amount of trail running and wanted to continue with it after the move. We moved to Austin on a Monday and I ran with Trail Roots that Tuesday morning. I thought it would be a great way to learn the trails in a new area and meet new people. It has worked out well on both accounts!
How has training with a group helped you?
If you do speed work on your own, you are a more disciplined runner than I. It’s great to be pushed by the group to perform ahead of your expectations. And when Jorge, Scott, James, and Abby drop me on a regular basis, it just pushes me to want to be able to keep up.
“It’s great to be pushed by the group to perform ahead of your expectations.”
What do you love about trail running?
Absolutely the people. They are kind of the polar opposite of the type of people who race triathlons. Plus, as long as Erik clears the spider webs early, just being out in nature is pretty great.
What do you like best about being a pack leader?
Working with Fletcher! Matt was one of the first people I ran with in Austin and it’s been a pleasure to work with him (and learn all of the trails around Austin from him).
As a husband and father with a full-time job, how do you find time to train?
It definitely takes some creativity. I’d like to give a big shout out to Scott Merritt, who gifted us a double running stroller. Our kids usually get in about 15 miles per week in the running stroller. Also, the Tuesday night crew has seen a few instances of the Dona Family Picnic at the Austin High track during speed work. And while I hate the treadmill, it has been helpful to get in some late afternoon runs when it’s brutally hot in Austin.
How has your outlook on training changed since becoming a father?
I feel the biggest thing I’ve learned is to not beat myself up when I miss workouts, because it is going to happen every week. Try to find some consistency and be flexible. In addition to running, I have tried to be consistent with one day of strength training per week as I feel there is a good time to benefit ratio with strength training.
Do you have any races or goals that you’re working towards?
Consistently sleeping through the night…does that count? I am very interested in putting a good effort into qualifying for Boston. I am considering racing the Philadelphia Marathon, but haven’t signed up yet.
What advice would you give people who are new to trail running and want to join a group?
Come give Trail Roots a try! There are workouts for everyone and someone to run (or hike) with at all paces. It is a great group of people and we explore all of the trails Austin has to offer.